


Chase This Light

by warbreaker



Category: Final Fantasy XIII Series
Genre: F/M, First Dates, First Meetings, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-30
Updated: 2014-10-08
Packaged: 2018-02-19 09:35:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2383478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/warbreaker/pseuds/warbreaker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one-shots comprising all of the firsts in Snow and Serah's relationship. Rating and tags subject to change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Fic titled after the song "Chase This Light" by Jimmy Eat World. Chapter notes at the end.

The storm clouds rolled in quicker than Serah expected. She'd only been at the Vestige for a little over an hour, but her day was already over. Sometimes the fal'Cie's ideas of keeping to a "schedule" differed from humans', and Phoenix was the most unpredictable of them all.

Sighing, she closed her notebook and tucked her pen into the loop sewn onto the leather cover. It was just as well. Lightning hated it when she came out here by herself, and the longer she stayed, the more anxious her sister got. The Vestige was supposed to be dangerous — _crawling_ with monsters — but for all the time she spent there, Serah had yet to see a single one.

She stood from her seat on a large rock, readjusted her skirt, and dusted herself off. The sky wasn't too dark yet. With a little luck, she would be able to make it to the bus stop ten blocks over before it really started to downpour. This way, she could make it home on her own and not have to bother Lightning for a ride.

Four blocks into her journey, she seriously started to regret that decision.

* * * * *

"And the game goes into double overtime! Unbelievable! Ladies and gentlemen, Yuj is on a running rampage! Can this man be stopped?"

Snow rolled his eyes as he kicked the wooden wedge out from underneath the cafe door. This game of paper football between Yuj and Gadot was getting _way_ too serious, and he wasn't really sure what was worse: hearing the two of them self-narrate after every turn, or knowing that he was in the process of locking himself in a room with them. It wasn't really their fault; rainy days meant next to no business at the cafe and even less monster activity out around town, leaving them with a whole lot of nothing to do.

The first of the cafe's double doors clicked shut, and Snow moved to close the other. The rain was really coming down hard now. Water pooled on the stoop and threatened to flood into the building itself. With the second doorstop gone, he pulled his keys from his pocket, ready to close up shop.

"Wait!"

His ears perked up at the sound of a woman's voice calling out through the wind and rain. He hadn't seen her before, but half a block away, a girl was running towards the cafe, holding what appeared to be a leather-bound book over her head as a terrible makeshift umbrella. Snow eyed her curiously, wondering what the hell anyone would be doing out in a storm like this — especially a lone woman with no coat nor protection.

"Don't close!" she shouted, still running. "Please don't close!"

He held the door open as she approached.

* * * * *

Serah was completely winded and breathless by the time she barreled into the cafe. Even a track star like her had trouble sprinting through the storm, especially in a short skirt and without a sports bra. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes as she tried to steady her breathing. She'd been lucky; this place was the only open business she'd seen since the first drops of rain started to fall.

"Thank you," she panted.

She had no idea who she was even thanking. That man who'd held the door for her, sure — the owner of the place, likely — but Serah hadn't gotten a good look at him. She cracked her eyes open and straightened her posture, not wanting to be rude. He'd really done her a favor here, after all.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he said. "I couldn't just leave you out in the rain, could I?"

Serah looked at him then — _really_ looked at him — and nearly stumbled backwards against the wall again when she did.

 _No, bad timing,_ she scolded herself. _You're out here alone and with nowhere to go and no way to get home. Now's not the time to get too trusting and boy crazy. Besides, you probably look like a drowned cat. Not exactly at the height of beauty, here._

He just wasn't what she'd expected. If he _was_ the owner, he was way younger than any other business owner she'd ever met — probably not that much older than she was, even. Tall, broad, and built were all probably enormous understatements, and Serah could tell that most of his already obviously massive physique was hidden beneath the bulky trench coat he wore and the vest underneath it. He was very unconventional-looking for anyone at any sort of job, really, from his clothes to his bandana to the blonde stubble that dusted across his masculine jaw.

It was his smile, though, that disarmed her more than anything else. She found herself smiling back at him, though she wasn't sure when she'd started or why.

 _Stop it,_ she chided internally. _Stop it right now._

"Yeah, well..." she said. "Still, I don't mean to be a pain. I'll leave as soon as the rain lets up."

"You look soaked enough already," he said. "How about a cup of something hot while you wait?"

" _He shoots, he scores!_ Gadot remains the undefeated champion!"

Serah blinked to attention, peering out at the mostly empty sea of tables out on the floor. She wasn't quite sure _what_ was happening over there, but whatever it was, it looked like the scrawnier guy with the blue hair just lost. The man at the door gave her a bit of a sheepish look and waved away the antics behind him.

"Ah, ignore them," he said. "Slow business day."

The smile on Serah's face widened, and she pressed a fist to her lips in order to keep from laughing. She'd never been in a restaurant on an off day like this, and up until now, never even stopped to think about what the employees might do to pass the time when there were no customers around.

"So," the man at the door went on, seemingly eager to change the subject. "What can I get you?"

"Oh," Serah said. "I'm sorry. I don't actually have any money. I wasn't really planning on stopping in anywhere."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "It's on me."

"Oh, no," she insisted. "I couldn't—"

"Too late," he cut her off, taking a few steps backwards towards he bar. "I've already made up my mind. I didn't let you in out of the rain just so you could freeze to death in here."

"I'm telling Lebreau you're giving out free drinks!" one of the guys from the tables shouted. He was a tiny blonde thing, younger than all of the others by a good five years. Was it even legal to let him work here?

"Hey, don't forget who's in charge here." The man who'd let her into the cafe was already behind the bar, waiting for her to join him and ready to serve her.

 _What the hell did I just walk into?_ Serah asked herself.

"Better jump to it," one of the other men — the winner, Gadot — said to her directly. "It's not every day the boss gives out free _anything._ Once in a lifetime offer, here."

Serah offered him a faint smile, but little more. Every bit of caution she'd learned from Lightning was screaming at her to say no and keep her feet planted at the doorway in case she needed to make a quick exit, but she had to admit that she _was_ soaked through her clothes and freezing from the rain. It wasn't like he was offering her alcohol — and he very well could have if he wanted to — and that smile...

"Okay," she said, giving a defeated shrug.

The boss was beaming as she took a seat at the bar across from him, setting her notebook down beside her. It was almost like he'd expected her to dig her heels in and keep refusing his offer, and he was ecstatic at the opportunity to actually brew something up for her. That probably should have seemed strange to her, but he just kind of had this way about him that felt naturally accommodating. He seemed to be a real people-pleaser. She couldn't tell if that was something she should feel threatened by in a stranger.

"So, what'll it be?" he asked. "Coffee, tea...?"

"Hot chocolate?" she offered.

"You got it." He barely got the words out before he turned around to grab a clean mug for her.

The whole place seemed to be remarkably clean, now that Serah had a chance to sit and look around some. For as rough around the edges as all these guys were, they sure did take good care of the place. There was no dust or spills or dirt anywhere in her immediate area, and all of the glasses and bottles behind the bar were neatly lined and organized. These were people who took pride in their work. Serah was already starting to feel more at ease.

"You know," she said, "I pass by this place all the time, but this is the first time I've ever actually been inside. It's really nice."

"Thanks," he said as he fixed her cup of hot chocolate. "I'll pass the word along to the owner. She's out sick today, so she'll love to hear that."

"The owner?" she asked. "I thought you were the owner. They just called you the boss."

A small smile tugged at his lips. He set the filled mug down on the bar in front of her and placed a tiny bowl of mini marshmallows beside it. _That_ was certainly more than she expected. Serah plucked a few from the bowl and dropped them into her drink, watching them swell as they absorbed the chocolate.

"Well," he said. "Technically, yeah. Both our names are on the lease, but this place is Lebreau's baby, not mine. Inside these walls, she's the _real_ boss."

Serah raised the mug to her lips, blowing on it softly before taking a quick sip. It was _delicious._ The heat of the liquid warmed her core as it traveled down her throat, and suddenly she was very, _very_ happy for taking the boss up on his offer.

"Is she your wife?" she asked, taking another sip.

He balked at the question, seemingly blindsided that she would even ask. Serah delicately set the mug back down onto the bar and pressed her lips together nervously. Surely it wasn't _that_ strange of a question. Couples opened restaurants like this all the time — and really, she had no reason to believe that a guy who looked like that was anything other than married. There was no way he was single, at the very least.

"No," he said, shaking his head incredulously. "No, no. She's, uh... part of the extended family, I guess you could say."

"Oh," she said. "I see."

Serah reached up and grabbed at the base of her ponytail with one hand, and she tugged at the elastic with the other. Her hair was heavy from the rainwater, and to have it tied up and pulling at her scalp like that was uncomfortable at best and extremely annoying at worst. She rolled the elastic down around her wrist the moment it came free and shook her hair out with both hands, gently massaging her own scalp. The boss watched her for only a second before he turned his gaze, as though he'd been looking at something racy or inappropriate. Huh. Odd.

"So what, exactly, are you the boss _of_ , then?" she asked, dropping her hands back to the bar to pick up her drink again.

He turned his attention back towards her again, pride clear in his eyes.

"Well, I guess I should introduce myself," he said. He offered her his hand. "Snow Villiers, leader of NORA."

Serah absently took his hand and shook it, trying to remember where she'd heard the name before. NORA... NORA... Belatedly, she looked down and noticed that Snow had engulfed her hand in both of his. He was absolutely _enormous_ in every sense of the word, and she was sure that he would be able to crush her whole skull in with just one of those giant hands of his.

"Yeah, I've heard of you," she said finally. "Well, NORA, at least. My sister's in the Guardian Corps. She's... mentioned you guys before."

"Good things, I hope," Snow said around an easy smile.

 _Not really,_ Serah responded mentally. _She says you're the biggest pain in her ass since boot camp._

"Somehow I thought you guys would be a little bit more... military," she said, deflecting.

"If we were, then why not just join the Corps ourselves?" he asked. "I'm not really good at taking orders or getting up early. None of us are."

"It must be nice," she said, "doing what you want, when you want. Most people aren't that lucky. I know I'm not."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Serah couldn't even believe that she'd said them. It wasn't like her to just unload something like that on a complete stranger. Snow just had this way about him that made her want to talk to him; it felt like she'd known him for ten years rather than ten minutes.

"Hey, well, correct me if I'm wrong..." he trailed off, searching for her name.

"Serah."

"Serah," he said. "You're here on your own right now, aren't you? And if I had to guess, I'd say you weren't out in the rain on a business call. I think you have more freedom than you think you do."

Serah wrinkled her brow as she studied him. This was the first time anyone had put a spin like that on her circumstances before. It was always non-stop stress about school and testing and college applications and track and _everything_ that she never had time to stop and consider anything else. He was right; she didn't _have_ to stop in here. She could've kept gunning for the bus stop, or she could've stopped beneath an overhang and called Lightning. She'd gone out to the Vestige in the first place solely for herself and her own curiosities; not because anyone told her to. How many other tiny decisions did she make for herself throughout the day? How many other little things had she been taking for granted?

"How did you know?" she asked. "That it wasn't business, I mean."

"Because business is usually planned," he said. "No one gets caught out in a storm like this on purpose."

"Yeah," she said, still feeling somewhat bewildered by the revelation. She curled both hands around her mug of hot chocolate and raised it to her lips for another sip. "I guess you're right."

"So, if you don't mind me asking," he said, "what _were_ you doing out there?"

"Um," she said, putting the mug back down. "Don't laugh, okay?"

"I won't make any promises," he said.

"No, hey!" she chided playfully. "I mean it!"

"Okay, okay," he said around a smile.

"I was at the Vestige," she said. "You know, the old ruins at the edge of town."

"Yeah, I know them," he said, immediately growing serious. "It's dangerous around that area. What were you doing out there?"

"It's not dangerous," she argued. "My sister says the same thing, but I've been there dozens of times and I've never seen a single monster."

"Just because you haven't seen one doesn't mean they're not there," he said.

 _He sounds just like her,_ Serah thought to herself. _He's nicer about it. His tone is much gentler. But he still sounds exactly like Lightning. He even furrows his brow the same way in worry._ That last thought struck her as odd. Snow was still a complete stranger to her. Why would he have any reason to be worried about her? _Lightning would hate him. She hates anyone who's too much like her._

"I'm just interested in the ruins," she explained, not wanting to further the argument. "It's what I want to go to school for."

"You want to go to school to study the Vestige?" he asked.

"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "No, that sounds completely stupid. I'm sorry. History. I want to study history — specifically, the history of Pulse — and I know that that sounds borderline heretical and treasonous, but—"

"Serah, slow down," Snow said gently. "It's alright. I run a militia group specifically because I didn't want to take orders from the Sanctum. What do I care about heresy?"

She took a deep breath and stared down into her hot chocolate, which was now growing lukewarm. She couldn't tell if he was baiting her or not — if he was setting some kind of trap for her to say something more than she should so that he could report her. He might not have wanted to join the ranks of the Sanctum specifically, but she knew that he frequently rubbed elbows with some of the higher-ups in the Guardian Corps. A guy like him could be just as loyal and treacherous as any Sanctum soldier.

Serah chewed on her bottom lip as seconds ticked by. This had been a bad idea. She should've refused his offer for a drink and just stood by the door while she waited for the rain to pass. Better yet, she shouldn't have come in here at all. She should've just called Lightning at the first sign of storm clouds. Sure, her sister would've been pissed to learn that she was back at the Vestige _again,_ but it definitely beat learning that Serah had somehow accidentally incriminated herself with her wild theories that challenged Sanctum dogma.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Snow said after a time. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot. I know it's a touchy subject for a lot of people. You don't have to tell me."

But she _wanted_ to tell him. That was the worst part. Even if he _was_ baiting her, Snow had been the first person other than Lightning to not immediately write off her interest in Pulse as dangerous or insane. She turned her gaze up towards him, and he offered her the faintest of sympathetic smiles.

"Do you ever wonder how the War of Transgression started?" she asked quietly.

"I asked an ardent that once when I was a kid," he said. "She told me that it started because Pulse forces invaded Cocoon. I asked her why they did that, and she said it was because Pulse was the sworn enemy of Cocoon. I asked her why they were our sworn enemy, and she whipped my ass with a belt and told me to stop asking questions. And after a while, I did. I just stopped caring about the answers, I guess."

"That's awful," she said.

Snow crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged helplessly.

"That was the glamorous life of a Sanctum orphan," he said.

An orphan. Serah's heart twisted in her chest. That could have been her — if Lightning had been a year younger, a shade weaker, both of them could have just as easily ended up in the same orphanage as Snow, and Serah would've been the one getting whipped for asking questions. It was the last part of his speech that hurt her the most. _I just stopped caring about the answers._ They didn't just beat the questions out of him; they completely stripped him of his intellectual curiosity all together. She opened her mouth to apologize to him for the things he'd been through, but he spoke first.

"You know, I completely forgot that that happened until now," he said. "It's funny how things can just jog your memory like that."

"Why wouldn't she just answer your questions?" Serah asked.

"Honestly?" he said. "I don't think she knew the answer. That was kind of how things went there. They had an answer for everything, until they didn't, and then they blamed _you_ for asking the wrong questions."

"That's exactly what I'm getting at," she said. "There's so much that we don't know. The Sanctum only tells us so much, and no one ever stops to question it. And anyone who does gets branded a Pulse sympathizer and is looked at as a threat. I hate it. It's like they don't even _want_ peace with Pulse. They don't ever stop to think about how much we could learn from them. There's pieces of Pulse scattered all over Cocoon from the war. I'm sure that the Sanctum took parts of the technology they left behind, learned from it, and used it themselves. Why should anything else be any different?"

"Because it wasn't just machines," he said.

Serah sighed and dropped her head onto her own forearms. Snow had just hit on her biggest annoyance, and he didn't even know it. The big L-word. That was the reason why the Sanctum didn't want anyone digging too far into Pulse, she was sure of it. They were all afraid that anyone who came too close to _anything_ Pulse would be branded a l'Cie and wage war against Cocoon. Serah ran both of her hands through her hair in frustration, looking up at Snow again.

"It's so stupid," she said bitterly. "When was the last time there was a Pulse l'Cie anywhere _near_ Cocoon since the war ended?"

He stopped to think for a second. "Never?"

" _Never!_ " she exclaimed. "If Pulse wanted to create l'Cie, don't you think they'd do it down on _Pulse_ , where they could build an army? They wouldn't just snatch random people up from Cocoon. That doesn't make any sense. Here, look at this—"

She grabbed her notebook and turned it around so that the writing would be right-side up for Snow, and she flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. There were several photographs of the Vestige stapled to the pages. Serah had taken them herself. At a glance, they just seemed like detailed close-ups of various sides and angles of the thing, but Serah had snapped the pictures because she saw something different there. Snow slowly lowered his arms back down to his sides and studied the pages carefully, and Serah swore she could see all of the pieces connecting in his head.

"It's not just a big statue, Snow," she said. "It's... I don't know. But look at that, right there. That's a door. There's something inside. The Vestige is so big, it could be anything. It could even be an entire city, for all we know. Why aren't there expeditions to find out? It's been there since the war, so there's no way there could be l'Cie still alive in it. Why not look?"

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" he asked.

Anxiety gripped at her. She sank down on the stool slightly and cautiously closed her notebook, pulling it back towards her. Was this the moment where he betrayed her? When his buddies locked the door behind her and they gave her up to their Guardian Corps contacts? She'd been so stupid — taken in by a charming smile and a handsome face, running her mouth to a complete stranger about things she didn't even trust some of her closest friends with. She wasn't even sure how this happened. It just felt so comfortable, talking with Snow, being so candid. He didn't shoot her down or judge her, and he seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say, and oh god that was the trap, wasn't it? He'd played her like a fiddle... hadn't he?

Might as well own it.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Yes."

The expression on his face softened, and after a second, he broke out into laughter. It wasn't menacing, or mocking, or treacherous in any way. In fact, it almost sounded encouraging. Was that stupid? Was she being stupid again?

"That's _awesome_ ," he said. "Give 'em hell, Serah."

She blew out a heavy breath in relief, and a smile split her face.

"Really?" she asked. "I mean, you really think so?"

"Yeah!" he said. "It's about someone shook up the Sanctum a bit. Keep 'em on their toes. I wish you'd been around when I was a kid. Maybe I could've gotten some of my answers."

"It's not too late to get answers, Snow," she said. "You just have to keep asking questions."

"I think it might be a little too late for me," he said. "I could never be a historian or a... researcher, I guess. I don't know. See? I don't even know what to even call it. Honestly, I'm just glad I learned how to _read._ "

 _He sells himself so short,_ she thought. He'd kept up with her beat for beat throughout the entire conversation, which was more than she could say about some of her classmates, even. He was also the co-owner of a very successful business, and he was deft enough at politicking to have friends in semi-high places. Snow was a man with enormous potential and so much to offer the world, and Serah couldn't help but wonder, in that moment, what he could've achieved for himself if he hadn't been so thoroughly discouraged at a young age.

She wanted to be close to him. Maybe that was jumping the gun a bit, but really, this entire encounter had been nothing but her jumping the gun with him. It honestly didn't matter _how_ they got close, but she knew for sure that she didn't want this to be the last time she saw him. Even if they could only get together occasionally, just so that she could bounce ideas off of him, that would be enough. It was so nice — so completely new and _refreshing_ — to be encouraged in her goals and ideas for a change. Lightning didn't _dis_ courage her, exactly, but any encouragement she gave always had the added footnote of "be careful how you say that" tacked on. Serah wanted "give 'em hell" to be her new motto in life, but she wasn't sure she had the strength to do it alone.

"Hey, Snow?" she said.

"Yeah?"

"Do you really think that the area around the Vestige is dangerous?" she asked.

"Yeah, Serah," he said. "I do. You said your sister is Guardian Corps, right? You really shouldn't be going there without her."

"What if I went with you?" she asked.

He blinked at her, seemingly caught off guard by the question.

"With me?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I can't pull Lightning away from her duties or operate on her schedule, and you said earlier that you don't really _have_ a schedule, so I just thought... Maybe you could come with me next time? That's kind of what you NORA guys do, right? You could protect me. Keep me safe while I keep studying it."

Snow beamed at her as though she'd just offered him a million gil. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. Not at first. Serah hoped that was a good sign. Taking a deep breath, Snow wet his lips and tried again.

"Yeah," he said. "That'd — I'd — No problem, Serah. Leave it to me. You'll be as safe with me as you would be in your own house. I promise."

Somewhere inside her, there was a tiny voice screaming and kicking its feet in joy. Serah did her best to retain her poise and composure on the outside.

"Your girlfriend won't be upset, will she?" she asked. That was subtle, right?

"What?" he asked, honestly bewildered. "My — What? No. No girlfriend. It's just me."

 _No. Freakin. Way._ He must have been gay. There was no other explanation. Either that, or he was a liar, and there really _was_ a girlfriend in the picture that he just didn't want her to know about. Serah did her best to try to ignore both options and just take him at his word, but a lingering doubt remained at the back of her mind. This was too good to be true.

"Okay, then," she said. "How about next Friday? I usually go right after school."

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, that sounds great. I could even pick you up if you wanted."

"Bad idea," Gadot interjected, taking a seat in the open stool beside Serah. Serah jumped at the sound of his voice; she'd been so completely wrapped up in her conversation with Snow that she'd completely forgotten that the other three were in the room at all. "Snow's only got a bike, so unless you want to sit on his lap in a short skirt and deal with all of the awkwardness that'll _arise_ from that — and believe me, you don't — you're better off walking."

Snow's face turned bright red, and Serah's burned so hot that she was sure she was right there along with him. He cleared his throat and tried to play it off as cool, reaching behind his head and adjusting his bandana with an open palm. It did nothing to make the blushing go down, but it _did_ allow him to hide behind his own elbow the tiniest bit.

"I didn't even think of that," he said awkwardly.

"Of course you didn't," Gadot said. "That's what you got us for. Three heads are better than two."

Mortified, Snow turned his back to them completely, planting his hands on his hips and taking a deep breath. Serah was stunned in her seat, feeling completely out of her element. She'd been on dates before, had boyfriends before, but it was never anything serious. At least, it'd never been to the point where his friends were sitting next to her making boner puns and lobbing racy possibilities at her. For just a quick second, she allowed herself to imagine it — to imagine herself sitting on Snow's lap, her arms locked around his shoulders, his broad chest as her support, and his —

 _No!_ she screamed at herself. _No, no, no, no! Too soon! Don't ruin this by making it weird!_

Gadot looked at her and shook his head, pointing a thumb in Snow's direction.

"This guy," he said to her. He shook his head again. "He means well. Don't let the stupid things he says drive you away."

"I don't mind walking," she said weakly. "I walk there every week. It's fine, really."

Snow turned back around, blowing out a heavy breath and crossing his arms over his chest. He was still slightly pink in the face — particularly at his ears — but he didn't look like a tomato anymore. Serah wondered if she'd recovered as quickly.

"Alright, then," he said. "Next Friday. I'll meet you there."

Serah nodded at him numbly. "Yeah."

She glanced over towards the window. It was still raining, but it'd let up significantly from the storm before. At the very least, it was light enough that she didn't mind the thought of walking in it. Maybe that was her cue to exit.

"Well, I should get going," she said.

"Are you sure?" Snow asked. "It's still raining."

"It's just water," she shrugged, offering him a smile. "I won't melt. Besides, it's way better than it was before."

She slid off of the stool, grabbed her notebook, and adjusted the strap of her bag across her chest. Snow moved out from behind the bar to walk her to the door. It was so strange to walk beside him. He was a near-literal _giant._ Serah had never considered herself to be exceptionally short, but Snow almost made her feel like a little kid in comparison. He opened the door for her, and she stepped outside before turning around and smiling up at him.

"I'll," he said awkwardly, "see you next week, I guess."

"I can't wait," she said honestly.

She lingered for a moment, unwilling to part from him just yet, but at the same time unsure of what else to say. There was something there between them — she could _feel_ it — but she didn't know what the proper protocol was for something like this. Should she hug him? Shake his hand? Maybe if he was a little shorter, or if she was a little taller, she could have kissed him on the cheek. Or maybe not even his cheek. Her gaze fell to his mouth, and her eyes traced the lines of his lips. She _was_ going to kiss him there one day, even if it was the last thing she ever did.

"See you," she squeaked, forcing herself to break from that line of thought. _Too soon, too soon._

Hugging her notebook to her chest, Serah headed out onto the sidewalk and made for the bus stop.

* * * * *

Snow closed the cafe doors and leaned his forearm against them, resting his head on the back of his hand. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, and part of him wasn't actually sure what'd even just happened. Serah just sort of barreled into his life, and somewhere between making her hot chocolate and walking her out the door, she left him dumbstruck and nearly speechless. The way her mind worked, and the kind of passion she had for things — things that he'd long since forgotten — was contagious, and she'd somehow swept him up in a whirlwind and left him stranded in a part of the world he didn't recognize.

He wanted to protect her. Not just from the monsters around the Vestige, either — he wanted to protect her from the whole damn _world._ He wanted her to stay exactly as she was: curious, independent, and hopeful — and he didn't want her to end up discouraged or to see her give up when the Sanctum inevitably told her "You can't" over and over and over again. The world needed more minds like Serah, and to think that she wanted to bring him along for the journey while she changed the world was almost unbelievable to him.

"Hey, lover boy!" Yuj called out to him. "Where's _our_ free drinks? I'll put on a mini skirt, too, if it'll get me a free whiskey sour."

Snow pulled himself away from the door and headed back behind the bar. If he didn't reclaim the area now, it was likely to be invaded by at least _one_ of the three of them at some point in the very near future.

"Didn't you hear?" Snow said. "Gadot's buying the first round."

"Oh, so that's the thanks I get?" Gadot asked, feigning indignance. "I save your ass — or, more like _her_ ass — from an awkward first date, and I get stuck with the drink tab? Some boyfriend you are."

Snow grabbed three shotglasses and their cheapest bottle of whiskey and began to pour. Yuj was out of his mind if he honestly thought he was getting a full whiskey sour out of this, and Maqui was too young to be hitting the bottle just yet.

"I'm not her boyfriend," Snow said.

"But you _want_ to be," Maqui pointed out.

"Hey, it's a little early to be deciding to be that, alright?" he sighed.

"BS," Gadot spat. "You've already decided. You decided the second she sat down on that stool."

"Yeah, come on," Yuj said. "Girls throw themselves at you _constantly_ , and it's like you don't even know they're there. But you're actually going on a _date_ with this one. I don't think I've ever seen you go on a date in my life."

"It's not even a date," Snow protested. "Let's not get carried away. It's more like a job."

"Oh yeah?" Yuj asked. "Is she paying you for it?"

"Maybe not with money," Gadot remarked as he took a glass.

"Watch it," Snow warned.

Yuj raised his shotglass in a toast. Gadot met him there halfway, awaiting an actual speech. Snow kept his own glass on the bar, having not yet decided if he wanted to join this toast quite yet.

"To Serah," Yuj said. "May she break Snow's line of celibacy and dislodge the stick from his ass."

"Very nice," Snow nodded along sarcastically, a certain sense of bitterness creeping into his voice.

He joined them in clinking their glasses together, and all three of them down their shots at once. Yuj and Gadot slammed their glasses back down onto the bar, but Snow lowered his into a gentle landing. Just one shot wasn't going to do anything to him, but the burning sensation at the back of his throat was a nice complement to the numbness he felt from the emotional overload that Serah left in her wake.

"Now go wash them," Snow said to Yuj, sliding his shotglass in his direction.

"Worth it," he said. He scooped up all three glasses and scurried behind the bar, pushing his way into the kitchen.

"You too," Snow said to Maqui.

"But I didn't even drink!" Maqui protested.

Snow shrugged at him, and Maqui let out an exaggerated sigh, accepting defeat. He slumped off of his stool and headed into the kitchen. His shoulders sagged a bit, but he otherwise made no further protest. As soon as the kitchen door closed behind him, Snow let out a heavy sigh and leaned forward against the bar.

"So, what's the deal, boss?" Gadot asked him. "What makes this girl so different from all the others? I heard her talking about Pulse l'Cie. Are you sure you want to get involved in something like that?"

"Gadot, that girl's gonna change the world," he said solemnly. "I don't know how I know that. I just know that when I look at her, I... I want to be there with her when she does it. I want to protect her. I don't want the _world_ to change _her_."

"You know that's not possible," Gadot said. "You can't have one without the other."

"I know," Snow said, frustrated. "I know that. But, I just... To hear her talk like that, to listen to her believe in something _so much_... Maybe the date won't work out. Maybe we'll be terrible for each other. I don't care about the romance. You know me. I could go the rest of my life without it. But I can still be her cavalry, can't I? Someone has to believe in _her_ while she believes in the truth."

"I haven't heard you talk like that in a long time, Snow," Gadot said quietly. "I thought you didn't care about changing the world anymore. I thought you said that that didn't matter. Families were what mattered. People. We had to keep them safe. Are you giving up on that now? Giving up on NORA?"

"No way," Snow said, pushing away from the bar top and standing up straight. "But can't it be both? Protect people _and_ get our answers?"

"I don't know," Gadot said. "That sounds like a lot, even for us. I guess we just have to see what this Serah girl is made of."

"Stronger stuff than me," Snow said. "I'd bet my life on it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always rejected the notion that Snow and Serah's relationship was based purely on puppylove in the beginning. I always, always, always thought that they saw the best in each other, even when they couldn't see it in themselves. In addition to being her hero, Snow has always been Serah's loudest and most enthusiastic cheerleader, and he supports her unconditionally, no matter what. In turn, Serah is what gives Snow's life purpose and meaning, because she sees greatness in him immediately and makes him rethink the ways of the world and his place in it. I honestly do not believe that Snow would've been able to step up and become the extremely competent Patron of Yusnaan without all of the life lessons he learned and all of the self-confidence he gained from Serah. I also really don't think Serah would've wanted to be with him if she couldn't connect with him intellectually, and Snow is a LOT smarter than most people give him credit for. They have a really great balance and depth in their relationship, and I think fandom does them a serious disservice by making it out to be much more shallow than it actually really is. So, I wanted to capture that that aspect of their relationship has always been there, even right at the very beginning, after meeting by chance and by fate.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and criticism are always welcome.


	2. First Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the story summary says that this is a series of one-shots, but some of these chapters will bleed together like they're a cohesive story. Don't let them fool you. I might be creating continuity between chapters, but there's no overarching plot between them.

Serah took a long sip from her water bottle, her chest still heaving as she recovered from her run with Lightning. Some mornings were harder than others when it came to keeping up with her sister, and Lightning had been in top form today. It was good practice for track meets, Serah knew, but sometimes she wished she could get a break.

"I'll be home late the next few nights," Lightning said, wiping the sweat from her face with a towel. "Don't wait up with dinner."

"That's alright," Serah told her. "I have plans tonight anyway."

She was starting to see less and less of her sister these days. Lightning said it was because the Bodhum Security Regiment was having personnel issues, but Serah knew better. Even if the personnel issues _did_ exist, she knew that Lightning would've jumped to pick up extra hours anyway. It was her way of coping, maybe — getting ready for the day that Serah left for college, leaving Lightning with an empty house and more free time than she would know what to do with.

Those kinds of thoughts scared her. College still didn't seem like a real thing that was happening; she hadn't even been accepted anywhere yet. It seemed like Lightning was more prepared for her to go than even she was herself, and Serah sometimes wondered if her sister was, on some level, looking forward to the independence and loss of responsibilities. Not that she thought of herself as being a _burden_ to her sister, exactly, but it'd been a long time since she'd seen her have anything remotely resembling her own life.

"Study group?" Lightning asked.

"Uh," Serah said. "Yeah, kind of."

Lightning quirked an eyebrow at her noncommittal response, but she didn't pry.

"I can pick you up from Alexa's house on the way home," she offered. "I'll be late, but not too late."

"Oh," Serah said nervously, tightening her grip on her water bottle. "I'm not going to Alexa's."

"Where are you going, then?"

"Um." Serah chewed on her bottom lip. There was no sense in hiding it, and lying would only make things worse. "The Vestige."

Lightning sighed in annoyance, dropping her hands to her sides. Serah could already hear the scolding lecture in her head, and she piped in to cut her sister off before she even had the chance to speak.

"— But I'm not going alone!" she said. "I know how much you hate when I do that, so I asked one of the NORA guys to—"

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Lightning interrupted. "You're putting your life in the hands of one of _those_ idiots? I would almost rather you go alone. You're probably better off, and more capable than any of them."

"Not just any of them," Serah protested. "I'm going with their leader, Snow. He's really nice, and he's way smarter than I think you give him credit for."

"I haven't met him," Lightning said, crossing her arms over her chest. "But I've seen his lackeys around. They're kids, Serah. Younger than you are, even. He can't be _that_ smart if he's putting guns in the hands of kids that age. He sure as hell isn't _responsible_ , and he damn well isn't someone I would trust with your safety."

"It's not like I agreed to marry him," Serah shrugged. "If it turns out he's just some boob, I never have to see him again."

"If you even live that long," Lightning said bitterly. "He might be more of a danger to you than any monster."

"One chance," Serah said. "That's all I'll give him. I promise. I'll be on high alert — I'll be _careful._ If things start to look bad, I'll run."

Lightning sighed again, and Serah could see the defeat and resignation on her face.

"I don't like this, Serah," she said.

"I know," Serah said. "I didn't expect you to. I just... I just want you trust me on this. Please, sis?"

"Let's be clear on this," she said. "It's not _you_ that I don't trust. If he tries at all to put his hands on you, and you can't get away, start screaming. As loud as you can. And don't stop, no matter what he says or does. Got it?"

Serah nodded numbly and wrapped her arms around herself, suppressing a sudden chill. Lightning had _never_ said anything like that to her before. She always gave her advice on how to get away, how to protect herself, and what kinds of behaviors to watch out for. But Snow wasn't just one of Serah's awkward classmates, and even though Lightning hadn't met him, she probably had at least the vague notion that he was all muscle and a force to be reckoned with. Anyone who made a living out of hunting down monsters was skilled, armed, and dangerous. Not being able to get away from him was a very, _very_ real possibility.

"Yeah," she said weakly. "I will. I got it. I promise."

* * * * *

In spite of her sister's ominous warning, Serah still spent most of the day excited and impatient for her kind-of-but-not date with Snow. She'd been looking forward to it all week, and any time her mind had a chance to wander, it always went back to him. It went back to his smile and his warm welcome; to his blue eyes and high cheekbones; to the sound of his voice and the sincerity of his laugh; to the fantasy of being in his arms and feeling the stubble of his beard against her face as he kissed her.

Those were the thoughts that kept her mind occupied now, as well. It kept her from dwelling on the fact that she'd been waiting for him for nearly half an hour and hadn't seen hide nor hair of him. He couldn't have forgotten, could he? Or maybe he never intended to come at all; maybe he really wasn't that interested in her to begin with, and he'd just been humoring her back at the cafe. Maybe she'd caught him in that lie, and his girlfriend kept him from coming. Maybe —

"Serah!"

She perked up at the sound of his voice, and it was only then that she saw him off in the distance, running towards her location. As he got closer, she saw that he was winded and sweating, and Serah wrinkled her brow in confusion. 

"Hey," she said when he was close enough. "I was starting to think you forgot about me."

Snow slowed to a stop and rested his hands on his chest and stomach, leaning his head back to catch his breath. He looked like he'd just run a marathon, but he was really no worse for wear. If Serah didn't know any better, she would almost say that he even looked excited to be here.

"Are you kidding?" he asked, breathless. "I wouldn't miss this for the world. Am I late?"

"A little," she said. "Did you run all the way here?"

"Not _all_ the way," he admitted around a sheepish grin. "I walked the first half of it, and then I realized it was taking too long, so I started running."

"Why didn't you just drive?" she asked.

"It didn't seem right," he shrugged, "making you walk while I showed up here on my bike. If you have to walk, then I will, too."

A smile tugged at Serah's lips, and she looked down at her feet demurely. Lightning was wrong about Snow. She had to be. No one who was _that_ considerate was a dangerously irresponsible moron.

It was a good thing, too, because as she looked at him now, she realized just how potentially dangerous he really was. If he wanted to attack her, hurt her, force himself on her — he wouldn't even have to try. He probably wouldn't even have to use both hands. Both of her wrists could've easily fit inside one of his enormous palms, and he was strong enough to hold her down without much effort.

Serah blew out a heavy breath and looked back up at him, trying to force those thoughts from her mind. Snow was here to be her _protection_ , and she was doing this encounter absolutely no favors by thinking of him as a potential attacker.

"So," he went on, "are you going to show me around?"

"I thought you said you knew the area," she said.

"I do," he said, "but not the same way you know it."

* * * * *

Two hours later, and Snow couldn't even believe how fast time was going by. Though he was supposed to be on guard duty, he found himself swept up in the exploration part of things, curious and interested in ways he never thought he'd be. Serah had brought books and encyclopedias with her to cross-reference the things she found at the ruins with research that'd already been conducted on Pulse, as little as there was. Even if he didn't understand half of the things she said, he was still mystified by it.

Serah had this way of working herself up into a cyclone of thoughts and theories, and it was exciting to watch her get excited about them. She didn't seem to mind his lack of knowledge on the subject, and sometimes his basic questions — things that felt stupid to ask — sparked a new light in her and made her approach things from a different way. It actually made him feel like he was helping, even though he had no idea why or how.

Ultimately, her goal was to try to find a way inside the thing, even though all rational human logic pointed to the notion that that was a _really bad idea_. The door she'd found wasn't just locked — it was _sealed_ , and even Snow's best efforts couldn't get it to budge. Serah's prevailing theory now was that there must've been some sort of mechanism that controlled the door; they just had to find it.

"Ready?" he asked, cupping his hands and bending his knees.

She nodded once. "Ready!"

Serah gingerly stepped into his hands, and he boosted her up to grab a higher ledge of the Vestige that was otherwise unreachable. As soon as she was up, he took a few steps back to make sure that she made it up there safely, suppressing the instinctive urge to look up her skirt as he did. She was much stronger and more agile than he would've given her credit for, and she pulled herself up onto the ledge with ease.

"What do you see up there?" he called out to her.

"Nothing yet," she called back. "I'm going to go around to the other side to get a better look."

Snow followed her movements from his place on the ground, keeping his eyes fixed on her. She wasn't _too_ high up — maybe nine or ten feet — but it was still far enough to really hurt if she were to suddenly lose her footing.

For being as old as it was, the Vestige was in remarkably good shape. It was all smooth surfaces and sleek angles, seemingly unperturbed by time or weather. Serah said that she initially thought that someone was taking care of it, but after coming back week after week, she realized that the Vestige was actually taking care of itself. When Snow had asked what that meant, she said she didn't know. Just another reason for her to keep studying it, he supposed.

"Damn."

"What's wrong?" Snow called up to her. She sounded frustrated.

"Well, I was right," she said, peering down at him momentarily. "There's something written up here."

"Is that bad?" he asked.

"It could be better," she said. "It's written in some other language. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen this kind of script before..."

"Nothing in the books?"

"I don't know. Maybe. It's hard to tell. And I couldn't climb up here with my camera, so I can't... Damn."

"Well," he said, weaving his fingers together and holding his hands behind his head, "we'll just have to bring a ladder next time."

"Oh, speak for yourself," she called down at him, giving him a playfully scolding look. "You're crazy if you think I'm lugging a twelve foot ladder all the way out here."

"I thought that's what I was for."

She smiled at him, and Snow felt his whole face light up.

"Well, that's all on you, then," she said. She looked around a bit at her immediate area and then peered down over the ledge. "Actually, maybe you should go get one right now. I didn't exactly think this through... I don't know how I'm going to get down."

"Jump," he said. "I'll catch you."

She looked apprehensive. "I don't know. In a skirt?"

Snow's cheeks felt warm. Serah had come straight from school and was still in her uniform; the second she jumped down, her skirt was going to fly straight up.

"I know, I know," he said. "I'm supposed to take you out to dinner first. But I can't take you out if you stay stuck up there."

"That was your plot all along, wasn't it?" she asked. "Get me stuck up on some high ledge so that I'll agree to go out with you if you help me down?"

"Serah," he said, "you don't have to do anything you don't want to. I'll really go and get a ladder if you want me to. No date required."

"No!" she insisted. "Don't you dare! I'm just teasing. I'll jump. Are you ready?"

"Ready," he said. "I got you."

Serah didn't hesitate. She knelt down and grabbed a hold of the ledge, bracing herself before dropping down off the side. Snow barely even noticed the flash of her panties — red to match her skirt — despite his lock-on gaze, and he caught her with ease.

He didn't let her down right away. He straightened his posture as he held her bridal-style, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, locking her wrists behind his neck. She was tense and shaking, and Snow wondered just how much courage it'd really taken her to make that drop.

"Hey," he said gently. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I just... I can't believe I did that."

He smiled at her. She was so light in his arms, and it felt right to hold her. It was like he'd finally found a piece of himself that he didn't know was missing.

That was crazy, wasn't it? He barely knew this girl, and yet...

"I wasn't gonna let you fall," he said. "I'm supposed to be your bodyguard out here, remember?"

"I almost forgot," she said. "It was easy to, I guess, since I never felt like I was in any danger."

Time hung between them. Snow's gaze fell from Serah's eyes to her lips, and he felt a sort of magnetic pull towards her — to be closer to her, to share this moment, to make it count. Should he kiss her? Was that what this feeling was? But what if it wasn't? She looked at him expectantly, as though waiting for him to make a move. He wanted to. The thought of kissing Serah... But what if...

He waffled again, and in the next second, the moment was gone. Snow recognized immediately that he'd missed his chance. Giving her a bit of an awkward smile, he gently placed her on her feet, and she — somewhat reluctantly — stepped away from him. Smoothing out her skirt and taking a breath, she smiled at him timidly.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem." The words were half-hearted at best. He felt like such an idiot. In his efforts to not come on too strongly, he'd gone in the complete opposite direction, and Serah probably thought that he was some kind of hand-wringing wuss.

And, well, he kind of was, wasn't he?

"Hey, Snow," she said, "were you serious about getting a ladder for me while I was up there?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "I couldn't just leave you up there, and it's not like I could make you jump."

She pressed her lips together as she studied him. It was hard for him to read her expression or even try to guess what was going through her head in that moment.

"You're," she said carefully, "not like other guys, are you?"

He wrinkled his brow in confusion. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

She broke out into honest, amused laughter, and Snow couldn't help but wonder when or how he'd missed the joke.

* * * * *

The sun was setting when he walked her home. Serah lived a good five miles from the Vestige, and they were still four miles out when the sky turned black. Though the street lights and the various businesses and buildings kept the world from total darkness, Snow was more than aware of the dangers that came with nighttime, even in a small tourist town like Bodhum.

It wasn't long after nightfall that Serah slipped her hand inside his and gave it a gentle squeeze. Snow's heart skipped a beat, but he squeezed right back, determined to prove that he deserved the trust that she placed in him. They walked like that the rest of the way, hand in hand, talking about a little bit of everything — from his daily routine when NORA was on monster patrol to the time she'd accidentally sent her lit teacher an extremely gruesome and gory horror story she'd written instead of her essay (and she still got an A on the assignment anyway).

Serah was full of little surprises like that. Looking at her, as sweet and petite as she was, he would've never guessed that she was into slasher flicks and ghost stories, or that she had a basic understanding of how to shoot a bow and swing a sword, or that she could run five miles in forty minutes. Snow already decided in his head that they were going to have to have a horror movie marathon night involving popcorn and possibly shots of vodka — it was just a matter of letting Serah in on this information.

There was nothing so surprising, though, as the conversation they were having now.

"I don't really remember my dad," she said. "If it wasn't for pictures, I don't think I'd even know what he looked like. And my sister doesn't really like to talk about him, so..."

"Why not?" he asked. "Doesn't she remember? You said she's older than you, right?"

Serah shrugged. "Yeah, but," she said, "I don't know, she's weird about it. She says that he wasn't really the kind of guy you could rely on or would want to look up to, but she never explains what she means by that. I do remember that my mom really loved him, though, and was always talking about him as though he'd walk through the door at any minute. Sometimes I wonder... wonder if he's actually really dead at all, or if he just walked out on us, and no one wanted to tell me."

The mere suggestion of it broke Snow's heart. According to Serah, she and her sister had been _young_ when their father died. He couldn't conceive of the kind of man who would walk out on his kids like that.

"I'm sure that's not it, Serah," he said.

"Yeah..." she said. "Yeah, you're probably right. Sorry, I didn't mean to just... dump that on you."

"No, no, it's okay," he said. "It's kind of nice to hear someone talk about this. You spend your whole life surrounded by families, it's easy to feel alone. More alone, I mean. But we're not really, you know?"

Beneath the light of a street lamp, he caught sight of a smile on her face. She wrapped her free hand around his arm and leaned against him as she walked, and his heart melted. He wanted this to be forever — to be there for her, to be _with_ her — as a kindred spirit, as a friend, as someone who understood. More than anything, he wanted to be by her side for the rest of her life, so that she never felt lonely again.

"Thank you, Snow," she said. "I've never really talked about this with anyone other than Lightning, and even then it hasn't been much."

He nodded sympathetically, but he didn't know what to say otherwise. This was the one thing that he couldn't connect with Serah about. She was so unbelievably lucky to have her sister in her life, even if they couldn't talk directly about the hard stuff. Sure, Snow had Gadot and Lebreau, but that still felt different somehow. As much as he _should've_ seen them as his brother and sister, there was still a certain degree of separation there, though he wasn't quite sure why.

"What about you?" she asked, breaking the silence that'd settled over them.

"Me?"

"Yeah," she said. "I know you said you were raised by the Sanctum, but don't you have any memories of your parents? At all?"

He hesitated. No one had ever asked him that before.

"Not really," he said. "I think my mom was PSICOM, but I don't really know. My dad I remember a little bit better. He was... Man, it feels weird to talk about this, but he was a writer. That's the one thing I remember for sure. Dad's stories. Except, I don't remember what any of them _were_ , and I'm not sure what kind of writer he even was. He could've written books or news articles or even movies, for all I know.

"I never really found out what happened to them. I guess I must have blocked it out or something. Most of the time, it just kind of feels like I was _born_ at the orphanage."

"Haven't you ever wanted to find out?" she asked. "I'm sure there's records of them somewhere in public domain."

"I thought about it a few times," he shrugged, "but I always figured it was more trouble than it was worth. I wouldn't even know where to start looking. I don't remember their names."

"Villiers isn't your birth name?" she asked.

"Nope," he said. "The Sanctum didn't let us have last names. They said we'd take the name of the family when we finally ended up with one, but..."

"But you never got adopted," she finished for him. There was a sense of melancholy in her voice. "So you chose the name yourself."

"Yep."

"What does it mean?"

The beginnings of a smile tugged at his lips, but it felt hollow.

"It means 'home.'"

Serah hummed thoughtfully in response and shifted her grip on Snow's hand, weaving her fingers between his. His heart fluttered in his chest, and he kicked himself for choosing to wear gloves. It was such a simple gesture on her end, but it somehow made him feel like she was closer to him now than she was before.

"You know," he said, "you're the first person I've ever told about any of that."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "No one ever really cared enough to ask before."

"I guess it's not an easy thing for most people," she said. "I know I've met people where it's like, they find out that it's just me and Lightning, and they feel guilty for daring to have parents in front of me."

He had to laugh at that. "Yeah, I've met those people too."

"And speaking of Lightning," she said, "that would be her pulling into the driveway."

Snow hadn't even realized that they were so close to Serah's house. Judging from where the car was pulling in, they were only half a block away by now, which meant that the night was, unfortunately, coming to a quick end. Serah pulled her hand away from his, and he immediately began to miss the sensation of holding it.

"We probably shouldn't get too close," she said, slowing to a stop. "She gets kind of... overprotective sometimes. She'll flip out if she finds out I walked home five miles in the dark, alone with some strange man."

"That's alright," he said. "I work with Guardian Corps guys all the time. If we just tell her who I am—"

"No!" Serah interrupted. "No. That would only make things worse. Trust me."

Snow cocked an eyebrow at her, but he didn't press the issue. What was the big deal? NORA was pretty well-loved by most of the lieutenants that he kept in contact with, and he was sure he'd never met Lightning before, so there was no reason for her to have any sort of personal vendetta against him. All the same, though, if that was how Serah felt, he would respect that.

"So," she said, readjusting the strap of her messenger bag across her chest. "How much do I owe you?"

The question blindsided him, and for a second, his brain couldn't even make sense of the words.

"Owe me?" he asked. "For what?"

"For being my bodyguard today," she said. "I'm sure you NORA guys don't work for free."

So much for thinking of this as being a date.

"No," he said. "Nothing. No charge."

"Come on," she said. "You stood around and listened to me babble about Pulse for six hours. I should give you _something._ "

 _A kiss,_ he said to himself. The thought came to him so suddenly and without hesitation that he was honestly surprised to catch himself thinking it. He was still beating himself up for blowing it earlier, but outright _asking_ for a kiss felt kind of sleazy. Girls often offered kisses in place of tips whenever he was working behind the bar, and usually he took them up on it, but he just didn't want that kind of thing with Serah. She was more than just a pretty face and a few good jokes, and he wanted the end of this night to mean more than that.

"Actually, Serah," he said, "when I'm honest with myself, the only thing I want for your time is, well, _more_ of it."

"I don't understand," she said.

"Are you free tomorrow night?" he asked.

"I..." she said. "Yeah. Yeah, why?"

"Let me take you out," he said. "I'm not really great at sit-down dinners, but we could do something else."

"Snow, you own a restaurant," she pointed out.

"I know," he said, biting back a nervous laugh. It _did_ sound kind of ridiculous, when she put it like that. "I know. It doesn't make any sense. But, what do you say?"

She stopped for a second to think, and while Snow thought that her hesitation should've made him feel nervous, he swore he could see her actively trying to battle back a smile.

"Under one condition," she said.

"Sure," he said. "Anything."

"You come and pick me up on your bike this time," she said. "I'll wear pants tomorrow, if that helps."

A smile split his face and he broke out into a laugh. That was a yes! Sure, she didn't _say_ the word yes, but she didn't need to. Serah wanted him to take her out again — wanted him to pick her up, even! He felt like he was going to explode.

"You can wear whatever you want, Serah," he said. "Gadot was just taking the piss."

"Oh no, don't tell me that," she said. "If you tell me that, then I'll just come out wearing my pajamas."

He shrugged. "No judgments here."

She bit her lip around a smile. "Be here at 6?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Yeah, you got it. I'll see you then."

She nodded back at him. "Okay. See you."

With that, she turned on her heels and headed towards her house. Snow watched her go, his eyes following her as she headed down the sidewalk and made for her front door. He didn't look away until the door clicked shut behind her, just to be sure that she'd made it inside safely. He wasn't even sure what his feelings were doing anymore. The night had ended a little abruptly, but he already couldn't wait until tomorrow.

* * * * *

"You're home later than I expected," Lightning said. "How did it go?"

"Great," Serah said honestly around a smile. "It was amazing. I really, really like him."

Her sister raised an eyebrow at that, but her face remained a cool mask otherwise.

"I hope this isn't going to become a regular thing, Serah," she said. "I still don't think you should trust him."

"Oh," Serah said, feeling her mood drop the slightest bit. "Well, I'm seeing him again tomorrow, actually."

"You're going _back_ to the Vestige?" Lightning asked.

"No," she said. "I don't know where we're going, exactly. We'll decide tomorrow, I guess."

"So it's a date, then," her sister said flatly.

"Yeah, I guess," Serah said, feeling helpless. "I don't see what the big deal is. I've been on dates before."

"Not during college application season, you haven't," Lightning said. "Are you really sure this is a good idea? Getting caught up with someone like _that_ when you're this close to securing your future?"

"What do you mean, someone like _that?_ " Serah asked. "You don't even know him. He's smart and kind and responsible — way more than you think he is."

Lightning scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'll believe _that_ when I see it. Do you really think you know him, Serah? One day together, and suddenly you _know_ him?"

"Well," she said, "no, but..."

"Exactly," her sister said. "Look. I can't stop you from going on this date. You're an adult now, and you need to make your own decisions. I just don't want you getting yourself hurt or throwing away your future on someone who has none."

 _He has a future,_ Serah protested silently. _You might not be able to see it, but he made himself from nothing, and he's gotten so far already._

"He makes me want to work harder," she said aloud. "Don't worry about Snow. I haven't felt this good about anything in... probably ever."

Lightning sighed and dropped her hands to her sides.

"I'm going to go take a shower," she said. "Just be careful, Serah."

"I will, sis. I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not exactly the most exciting chapter in the world, but first dates are always a little awkward and slightly uneventful, all things considered.
> 
> As always, concrit and comments are requested. Thank you for reading!


End file.
